mcgrath



W. L. McGRATH.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.20, 19:9.

1,351,860. PatentedSept. 7,1 20,

' HEET 2.

2 SHEETS-S Masai INVENTOR.

' fir JMMIAMW" M QM Jew, ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES. 1

1 WILIJAM LJMCGRATH, OFELMIRA, *NEW.YO;RK, ssIGNoR TO ECLiPSE MACHINE COM- rnnigfor ELMIRA, NEwYoRK,AooRronA'rmn'or NEW.-YORK, I

fication. I I I My invention relatesto the dr ve or trans ammer-mesa.

TolaZl whom it may concern a citizen of thefUnited. States, residin t Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, haveinventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Engine- Starters, of which the follo'wingis'a specimission portion of an engine starter, and the object thereof is to provide a simple, eflicient and reliable constructionof drive more particularly adapted for hand operation as distinguished from power operation thi'ough a starting motor, although such construction I is capable of operation eitherhand'or power. The various features of advantage and utility in the construction and operation the description hereinafter given.

, In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation. partly in section of a drive embodying my invention, Fig. 2an end elevationthereof,

and Figs; 3and4 sections on the same line of Fig. 1 but looking in opposite directions 5 as indicated by the correspondingnumerals.

' Referring to the particular embodiment of my invention-as herein shown, the drive consists. of a suitably supported or journaled rotatable member orshaft "1 and a driving gear 2 adapt'edto engage and drivea rotatable part of -the engine to "be, started such as the fly wheel 3thereo'f.

In the present instance the'sha ft is driven 'bya driving Wheel whichgis'here in 'the form of a sprocket wheel 4 secured to one end ofi' .said shaft in suitablemanner asby means of the key 5 and cross pin Gi -In practice this-wheel,;and of coursejthe drive, is'adaptf 'edto be] d'riven'by hand, that isf'to say, the engine is "adapted to bep jhand cranked through the mechanism now being described 7 and, as shown, the sprocket wheel 4 is itself secured to, a rotatable shaft 9; a'daptedito be connected either directly or indirectly Wltha.

drivenby another sprocket wheel 7 through the medium of a chain 8, said wheel 7 being hand mfikfnotshown'); a v

- The rotatable shaft has a'scriew thr d d portion. 1*} on; which is screw threaded the gear 2 wherebysuch gear iscapable'of auto I matic longitudinalniovement ingoing into" and out of mesh with thefly wheel' andjiis .also capable of'rotary movementwiththe shaft at the rend'ojf its inward longitudinal chored at one end to the hub as by means of the screws or rivets 15 and having inter specification of Ilett ersPa'tent. 1 Patented S pt. 7 i920 L n man filed lMarehQO, ie19'. seri l ire-283,777, i i

is provided toward'its central portion with PATENT. OFFICE. r f.

e I" himovement for meshing purposes. The shaft 1 Be it known that LWVILLIAM L. MoGRA'rH,

clutch jaws 1O adapted to 'co'operate with "corresponding rightangledfelutch 11 whereby the gear will partake of the retary are in engagement during the operation of driving the flywheel.

coeperate with a pin 13 anchored in one end semi-circular hub portion 1-2? and also cooperat1ng"witha retainer which is in the fform of a flat spring .14: secured to such hub. Y Y: Thls spring is preferably of the form illusof my form of drive willbe'apparent from T trated in; ig. 2, wherein thesame is anmediateits length an upwardly curved portion 145" raised above the jhub an'd an invwa'rdly extending portion 14" restin with :a yielding pressure upon sai d hub. i son of thisraisedportionthe gear is lpermitt'ed a 'fr eedom o'f'rotative movement to a .limited extentbnt is prevented'fromrrotating except through theexerdse of posi- Jtive" power intentionally applied, where- {movement of the shaft when the clutch jaws circular extension 12 fwhich is adapted .to

of the, shaft and projecting radially therefrom so asto be contacted by an edge of the 'P ep 3 o ldbe rotated relative to thefretainer 14. and the 'fge'ar will thereupon be permitted to be advanced longitudinally for meshing purposes;The'particular object of this retainer is to" guardagainst the a backfire of the engine, in which event the pinion might befagain meshed with'the rotating flywheel, with'p'ossible damage to the retained'in its normal ordisengaged posipossibility of accidentQespecially when the: drive is hand-cranked andthecrankingis "inadvertently being continued at the time of tion and will-rotate with theshaft if the cranking is continued. a; 'quick or snappy initial movement. of the hand crank and shafttheigear' is disengaged from the retainer by having the pin 13 pass the spring portion l fl of theretainer. In case the teeth of the geare should abut the teeth of the fly wheel 3 end to end,1proyision is made for the slight rotary "move- 1 iment of 'such,.gear by the operator, sueh means being placed within ready reach of the operators hand or foot, preferably the latter. means consists of a manually or pedally operated plunger 16 adapted to reciprocate in a casing or sleeve 17 which is suitably nounte'd in a support or bracket 18,.itself mounted in fixed relationship to the engine or more particularly the drive or transmis- ,sion. This plunger is located directly above orin the plane offthe gearQ and is adapted to enter between two adjacent teeth of the geariwith its pointed lower end 16 This pointed or inc-linedend' of the plunger is adapted'jto bear against the'cur'ved side of one o'r the-other of said two adjacent teeth and to thereby slightly rotate the gear in one direction or the other sufficiently to bring the gear teeth and fly Wheel teeth into register vand permit the desired meshing thereof upon the continued rotation of the screw shaft. This plunger 16 1s retracted to normal positionwa'fter its operation by means of the coil spring 191 v It will be understood that thisplunger is also useful to prevent rotation of the pinion at the time when it should advance longiftudinally, inasmuch as the projection of this plunger between the pinion teeth looks it against rotation and assures meshing with,

the engine member. V The gear teeth are of the peculiar form jshown in order tofacilitate meshing by be ing cut away attheirengagin'g end, thereby presenting a minimum of surfacefor end contact and permitting meshing at the widest portion of the angular space between the fly, wheel teetl This feature is not herein claimed butmade the subject matter ofa separate application.

Itwill be understood that when I use the terinmanual as applied to the operation of thepluiiger "I mean to include both the manual and pedal operation thereof.

Iclaim: Y

1; In .aide'vice ofthe class described, the

, combination ofa rotatable shaft, a driving member niounted'there'on for, longitudinal movement thereof and rotary ,movement therewith, and means for'yield ngl'y' holding such member in normal position on the shaft but permitting a limited freerotary'movei ment thereon such means comprising a pro- I je ct'ion on'the shaft anda'spring anchored at oneend to thedr'iv ing member with its intermediate portion arched to extend over such gproj ection.

2.1n a device ,of the class described, the

combination. of a v rotatable shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for" longitudinal 3 movement thereoffl 'and rotary mo'vement therewith, and cooperating elements" mounted on: sa d member and shaft respectively arranged ,to permit a limited tary movement'of the shaft with respect to As. shown. in Figs; 1 and. 2 such the rice .ro-

said member but tending to yieldingly hold suc'hmemben into rotarial engagement with u i a sudden snappy action.

In a device of th class described, the

combination of a rotatable shaft, a driving -membermounted thereon for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith, and cooperating members mounted on said member and shaft for yieldingly holdin such member in normal )osition on the shaft but permitting a limited free rotary movement thereon, such means comprising a pro ect on on the shaft and a curved springmounted on such member and normally inclosing and coiiperating with the projection.

i. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rotatable shaft, 'a driving member mounted thereon for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith, and coijperating members mounted on said member and shaft for yieldingly holding such member in normal position on the shaft but permitting limited free rotary movement thereon, such means comprising a projection on the shaft and a curved spring mounted on such member and cooperating with theprojection, such member having a. stop shoulder cooperating with the projec tion to stop the same in its return longitudinal movement.

5. In a deviceof the class described, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a gear mounted thereon for longitudinal movement thereo'fand rotary movement therewith and having a hub, a radial'pro ection on the shaft, and yielding means mounted on the hub and cooperating'with the projection to engage the same to yieldingly holdit in connected at one end to the, hub with its other or free end bearing against such hub and with an intermediateportion outwardly extended to receive the projection when the gear is in normal position.

7 In a device of-the class described, the I combination of a rotatable shaft, a gear .mounted thereon for longitudinal movement 1 thereof and rotary movement therewith and having a hub,,a radial projection f on1the shaft, and yielding means mounted on the,

hub and cooperating with said projection to shaft, e:rcept when the shaft is rotated engage the same to yieldingly hold the'gear i in normal position on the shaft, but to per mit a limited free rotary'movement thereof on the shaft, said hub having a projecting portion adapted to engage/said shaft pro jection to stop the return movement of the gear on the shaft.

8. In a device of the. class described, the

combination of a rotatable shaft, a gear mounted thereon for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith and having a hub, aradial projection on :the

shaft, and-yielding means mounted on the hub and cooperatingwith said projection to engage the same to yieldingly hold the gear I in normal position on the shaft, but to permit a limited free rotary movement thereof on the shaft, said hub having a laterally extending portion providing a'shoulder adapted to contact said shaft projection at the end" of the return movement of the gear on the shaft. o r

I I IA L. MoGRATH; 

